The Week For Finding Out Who You Really Are
by Windrises
Summary: Carmine Falcone, who Catwoman suspects is her father, is suffering from life-threatening health problems. Batman tries to help the family, but things are more problematic than they appear.


Note: Batman is owned by DC Comics and was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane.

Bruce Wayne got on his Batman costume and started getting the Batmobile ready. Alfred Pennyworth walked into the Batcave. Batman hadn't told him what he was up to, so he looked confused and surprised. Batman stood around, in silence. He clearly had something on his mind, but he was stubborn, to not talk about it.

Alfred decided to speak up. He said, "Batman, may I ask what you're up to?"

Batman checked the Batmobile's radiator, while saying, "Another one of Carmine Falcone's mobs pulled a major heist. If that old guy keeps this up, he'll have more money than Bruce Wayne."

Alfred jokingly said, "So, this is a mission of jealously?"

Batman glared at his butler and replied, "The Falcone family has been controlling and corrupting Gotham, before I ever became a crimefighter. Falcone's one of the main reasons, that I had to become the Batman. I think it's about time, to put Falcone out of business."

Alfred could tell that Batman had something else to share, so he said, "Cough it up."

Batman replied, "I'm afraid Catwoman will show up and ruin things. She's still under the impression, that she's one of Falcone's daughters, which is a strong possibility. Since Falcone's rich and she loves robbing valuable things, it's a dangerous combo."

Alfred responded, "Best of luck."

Batman replied, "Thank you." He went into the Batmobile and drove away.

Meanwhile, Carmine Falcone was in his office. He had a proud smile on his face, while staring at all of the cash, that his mob had gathered for him. He started counting the bills, before he started feeling a pain his stomach. He clenched his stomach, while one of his sons, Mario, walked in.

Mario had a concerned look on his face, while saying, "Dad, are you okay?"

Carmine replied, "Don't put too much thought into it, Mario. It's just a mild stomach flu. I've had several of those."

Mario responded, With my sister, Sofia, being sick, I have two family members, that I'm concerned about."

Carmine replied, "What I'm going through is nothing worth your time. How's Sofia doing?"

Mario sighed and responded, "She's going to get better, but it might take a few weeks. Her recent flu has really taken out her energy. However, I'm starting to suspect, that you have a worser illness. You do live a stressful lifestyle, for someone your age, not to mention all the smoking you do."

Carmine tapped his hand on the desk, while giving his son a disapproving look. He said, "Mario, you're one of my children and I'll always love you, but don't forget I'm in change. If I say I'm okay, you'll understand that and not tell me how I'm feeling."

Mario replied, "My apologies. I'm just concerned about your health."

Carmine lit a cigarette, while saying, "You should be worried about that dang bat. He's been putting a lot of our operations in danger, ever since he first put on the cowl. If you want me to be in good health, eliminate the dark knight."

Alberto Falcone walked into the office. Although Albert was Carmine's other son, Carmine tried to keep him away from the family business, because he thought Alberto didn't have the guts for it. Carmine looked at him and said, "I've told you to no come here, during work hours."

Alberto sighed and asked, "You still don't trust me to accomplish anything, do you?"

Carmine sternly said, "You know I don't mean that. You can accomplish lots of things, just not around here. What do you want?"

Alberto angrily laughed and replied, "I come here to warn you, that Catwoman has entered the building, and instead of getting thanked, I get asked to leave. What a classy response."

Carmine punched his desk and asked, "That dang cat broke in here?! Don't tattletale to me about it. Go have security get rid of that stupid fur-ball."

Several guards came after Catwoman. Catwoman stared at them, with an amused look on her face. They thought they could defeat her, but Catwoman started proving them wrong. She punched and kicked the guards, across the hallway. She smiled and said, "Meow, nobody scratches me. I've got claws, that have an unbelievably-high amount of strength."

Meanwhile, Carmine was still in his office. He started feeling more pain in his stomach. In order to get his mind off the pain, he lit another cigarette. His office's phone started ringing. He reluctantly picked it up and asked, "Who's there?"

Sofia answered, "Hi Dad."

Carmine had a more caring tone in his voice, while saying, "Hi Sofia. How are you doing? How's your illness?"

Sofia answered, "I've been in bed, the entire day. Seems like I have even less willpower than Alberto, don't I?"

Carmine shook his head and said, "Don't worry, my daughter. After you get over this flu, you're going to go and do lots of groundbreaking things. You know I always love and believe in you."

Sofia smiled and replied, "Thank you, Daddy."

Carmine asked, "So, why did you call?"

Sofia answered, "I know you only want us to call your office's phone, if there's an emergency. I'm afraid I'm guilty, because I broke that rule. I just wanted to hear your comforting words."

Carmine replied, "That's perfectly fine. After all, you're sick. Words of encouragement is the least I can do." He felt more pain in his stomach, but he didn't mention that, for Sofia's sake.

Sofia said, "I love you."

Carmine replied, "I love you too." He put the phone down. Although he usually didn't like making personal calls during work hours, his talk with Sofia brought a light smile upon his face.

Meanwhile, Batman went into the building. He looked around and saw dozens of defeated guards. Although his meant Batman had less people to defeat, he was upset, because he knew Catwoman had entered. He ran around the building's hallways and after a moment of searching, he found Catwoman. He stepped out of the shadows and said, "You shouldn't be here."

Catwoman replied, "I'm part of this family, so I think I deserve to be here."

Batman responded, "You think you're part of the Falcone family. There's no proof."

Catwoman said, "I shouldn't expect you, to see where I'm coming from. After all, you're a detective. You only consider things to be true, if you can find evidence."

Batman replied, "That's how life works."

Catwoman shook her head, before saying, "Well, that might be true, occasionally. However, there are plenty of times where you don't need evidence or proof. The feelings in your heart will let you know what's fake and real. That's how life is."

Batman said, "So, I think evidence explains the truth and you think the heart is what actually tells the truth?" He put his hand on his chin and said, "I think you're on to something. In some ways, we're both right and in other words, we're both wrong."

Catwoman had a flirtatious smile on her face, while saying, "So, what you're saying, is that if we combine our outlooks on life and our hearts, we'll know what life's really like."

Batman saw that Catwoman's hands were on his shoulders. He moved away from her and said, "Falcone needs to be stopped. This isn't the time for your theories." He looked around and saw that Catwoman had disappeared. Although he had been a bit annoyed by her, he did feel sorry for her.

Batman went into Carmine's office. He faced him and said, "Falcone, we've been at war, for years. It feels like decades. Whatever the case, it's time to end this."

Carmine pointed a gun at Batman and replied, "Indeed, let's give you a proper ending."

Batman responded, "I hate guns."

Carmine smugly replied, "Then this is a great way to end you." He tried to shoot Batman, but Batman managed to avoid his shots. Batman was surprised by how flaky Carmine's shots were. Carmine felt more stomach pain. He lit another cigarette, before falling to the ground. He laid on the floor, while in loads of pain.

Despite everything Carmine had done, Batman showed sympathy for him. He grabbed Carmine and started taking him to the doctor.

Batman drove to a run-down building, where the Crime Doctor worked. Batman walked inside and placed Carmine on the operating table. The Crime Doctor walked up to Batman and noticed that Carmine was passed-out, so he asked, "Did you finally shoot the Roman?"

Batman shook his head and said, "Believe it or not, I'm not the one who did this."

The Crime Doctor replied, "Seems fishy, but my whole business is about shady business, so I'm not going to judge. Is he still alive?"

Batman responded, "Yes. I'm not exactly buddies with this guy, so I don't know what he's suffering from. Do whatever you can."

The Crime Doctor replied, "Of course. Well, if you pay the right price." Batman placed a large sum of money on the cash register. The Crime Doctor said, "In that case, the Roman will get my most passionate treatment."

Batman sat on a chair, in the building's lobby. He waited, for several hours, before the Crime Doctor signaled for him to come to the operating room. Batman walked by and asked, "What's going on?"

The Crime Doctor looked at Carmine and said, "I tried everything I got, but you're a hopeless case. Your high-stakes job and overly-high amount of responsibilities has given you incurable stomach problems. In addition, decades of smoking has crept on you."

Carmine threw a cigarette on the ground and replied, "You've gotta be kidding me. I'm going to a real doctor, so I can get real treatment."

The Crime Doctor responded, "Go to as many doctors as you want, but you'll still be screwed. It would take months to cure that stomach of yours and considering how bad you lungs are getting, you've got less than a month."

Carmine kicked the operating table away and replied, "That's a load of crap. I know I've got a few health problems, but I'll be to get over it."

Batman angrily asked, "How much do you smoke per day, Falcone?"

Carmine casually said, "Five on an easy day, twenty on the hard days, and thirty on the nightmarish days. Considering the type of day this has been, I'm about to have my twenty-fifth cigarette."

Batman asked, "How gullible are you? Your smoking is what's leading to your failing health."

Carmine pushed Batman away and replied, "You're wrong. My smoking cures my problems, gives me relief. You've bats in your belfry, so you'd never understand. I'm getting away from you nutcases." He ran out of the building.

Carmine went outside and signaled for a taxi. A taxi cab drove by him. Carmine got inside and said, "Take me to my penthouse." He started lighting another cigarette. He went into his penthouse and quickly got ready for bed. He laid on his bed, while his pain increased. He tried to ignore his pain, while closing his eyes.

The next day, Carmine woke up. He clenched his throat, while racing to the kitchen and drinking a large amount of water. He crushed his glass of water, while saying to himself, "My pain's gotten worse." He wiped sweat off his face, while saying, "Batman's not as stupid as I thought. In fact, I might be the stupid one." He tried to get such thoughts out of his brain, while saying, "No, that can't be the case. I'm Carmine Falcone, the Roman, the leader of Gotham."

An hour later, Carmine arrived at work. He had had shown up much later, than he usually did. When that happened, he usually called, but this time, he hadn't. Several of the employees had concerned looks on their faces, while Carmine started heading into his office.

Mario came into his office and said, "Dad, don't play the lying game. I know you're late, because of your failing health."

Carmine angrily asked, "Do you think you're some kind of trendsetter, for finding out the truth?" He calmed down and said, "I'm sorry. Sit down. There's a matter we have to discuss."

Carmine and Mario sat down. Mario looked at his father and said, "Tell me what's going on."

Carmine tried to look healthier than he actually was, while saying, "I'm dealing with a few health problems. I'm not sure how serious they are, but you know me. Whenever I get a problem, I make sure it's eliminated. In case I can't make these problems go away, I'll need you to take over the company."

Mario knew his father loved his position too much to ever give it up, unless his life was on the line. He said, "Dad, are you dying?"

Carmine replied, "Son, I don't know what my future is. However, I know the future of the Falcone family will be in good hands." He hugged Mario and said, "Always make Daddy proud."

Mario replied, "I will."

Carmine responded, "You're in charge, for the rest of the day. I need to go to the doctor."

Throughout the rest of the morning, Carmine visited several doctors. None of them knew of any cure, considering how little Carmine had left. After hours of failed visits, Carmine went to the park and sat on the bench and thought about his life. He had made a big deal about how much he loves his family, but in the past few years, his business seemed to dominate his time.

Carmine started lighting another cigarette. Batman stepped in front of him, with a disapproving look on his face. Carmine said, "I barely have any time, so I'm planning on enjoying it. I don't give a crap, about your morality-filled lessons."

Batman replied, "Instead of smoking your life away, how about apologizing to those who are most important to you?"

Carmine asked, "Who are you referring to?"

Carmine looked around and saw that Catwoman was also sitting on the bench. He had a confused look on his face, while asking, "Why is she here?"

Catwoman answered, "Because I'm your first-born daughter. I know there's no physical evidence, at the current time, but I can tell what's really going on."

Carmine continued smoking, while saying, "Before I met the woman I ended up marrying, I was with a different woman. We had a child together, but I lost contact with her. I didn't even get a chance, to know my child's name."

Catwoman replied, "I'm Selina Kyle."

Carmine raised an eyebrow and asked, "I'm the father of the cat?" He put his hand over his face, while asking, "What has my life become?"

Batman answered, "It's become a mean-spirited shell and you can blame yourself for that. You don't have much time left, so how about throwing the cigarettes away and start acting like a real dad?"

Carmine threw his pack of cigarettes away. He faced Batman and asked, "Is the cat really my daughter or is she pulling my leg?"

Batman answered, "She's your first-born. The evidence hasn't been found yet, but the proof is in her heart, so it's an undeniable fact." Catwoman smiled at Batman.

Carmine said, "If that's the case, Mario will add her to the will. If you'll excuse me, I have a visit to make."

Batman asked, "Where are you going?"

Carmine answered, "None of your business."

Carmine went into his car and drove to Sofia's house. He went outside and entered Sofia's bedroom. She was laying in bed, while still getting over her flu. Carmine grabbed a chair and sat by her bed. He said, "Hi Sofia."

Sofia was pleasantly surprised to see her dad. She said, "Hi Dad. What's going on?"

Carmine replied, "Sofia, I'm already this is the last time we'll meet." He explained his health problems and mentioned he only had a few days left.

Sofia said, "Dad, you're breaking my heart."

Carmine replied, "Sofia, I've broken a lot of things. My problems didn't come from Batman or the others. I got myself into this mess. I led to my own downfall." He took a long pause, before saying, "Sofia, you can lead any life you want and follow your path. I ask for one thing: Don't lead the life I did. I've been a shady businessman, a crummy person, and a crappy father."

Sofia shook her head and responded, "You've been a lot of questionable things, but you were always a caring dad. I wish my flu was over, so I could give you the best days possible."

Carmine replied, "You probably won't recover in time, but that's okay. I'm spending my last days with the person, who showed me compassion, despite what I became."

Sofia smiled and said, "I love you. I always will love you." Carmine hugged her. Tears poured down their eyes.

Batman and Catwoman entered the room. Carmine could sense their presence and said, "I only have a few days left, so let me spend them the way I should of spent everyday." He grabbed a young-adult novel and started reading it to Sofia.

Batman pulled Catwoman out of the room, while whispering to her, "Let him enjoy this time."

Catwoman whispered back, "Very well then. Besides, I have a better person to spend my time with." She kissed Batman's cheek. Batman tried to not react, while walking Catwoman out of Sofia's house.

Carmine stayed with Sofia, for the rest of the week. He read to her, watched TV with her, and shared his true feelings. He even sang her songs, to help her fall asleep. Despite all the pain he was in, Carmine was thankful, to have this time with his daughter. Sofia saw more of her father, in those few days, than she saw in the past few months. It was an emotional time for her and she knew she'd never forget her father's dedication to her.

A few weeks later, Carmine's funeral was held at Gotham's cemetery. Batman and Catwoman were there, along with Carmine's relatives. Several family members cried, but Sofia had the most amount of tears.

After the funeral was over, Sofia stood around, while in complete silence. She held the story her father had read to her and placed it in her jacket.

Batman looked at Catwoman and asked, "Will you be okay?"

Catwoman answered, "I think so, but I have a lot of confused emotions. Carmine acted like scum, but when it came for him to go, he finally softened up. Did he actually have a soft side or was he just afraid of leaving this world?"

Batman confidently answered, "He hid his softer side, for years, but I know it was there. Selina, you were about not always needing evidence." Catwoman hugged him. Batman hugged her back.

Sofia overheard them and said, "My father was many things: A mob boss, a businessman, a criminal, a smoker, and a liar, However, he was also a father, who loved his children. Due to his business, he didn't spend much time with us, but I always could feel his love for me, every-time we talked. He always has cared about me and he'll hold a special place in my heart, forever." She grabbed the book out of her jacket and placed it near her heart, while saying, "His legacy lives on, in my heart."


End file.
